Olympus Has Fallen’  but chances are it will rise at the box office

Wednesday

Mar 13, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Liz Smith

‘There’s Harvey Weinstein.”

“No it’s not. Why would he be at somebody else’s premiere?”

“I’m telling you. It’s Harvey, on his iPad.”

So went a little argument at the jam-packed screening of the new action thriller “Olympus Has Fallen.” Turns out it was the great and powerful wizard of Weinstein. He and an overflow crowd sat patiently, if noisily, awaiting the new Gerard Butler movie. Mr. Butler, slimmer and better looking in person, was also there, as was one of his co-stars, the fabulous Angela Bassett. Mr. Butler was in high spirits. At one point, attempting to greet writer Paul Haggis across several rows of chairs, laughing, Butler said, “Damn! I want to kiss you on the lips. We’ll have to wait till later!”

Andrew Saffir’s Cinema Society put this together, and even Andrew was amazed by the crowd. Extra chairs were pulled out and several dozen simply stood for two hours in the aisles of the Tribeca Grand Screening Room. They didn’t mind.

“Olympus Has Fallen” tells the tale of a group of North Korean terrorists (the Middle Eastern terrorist is somewhat exhausted for now). They want the United States to pull its ships and troops away from the DMZ, the better to conquer South Korea. These bad guys literally invade the White House and only one man can save the captured president (Aaron Eckhart) — Secret Service man Gerard Butler.

To say one has to suspend disbelief is the understatement of the decade. The movie directed by Antoine Fuqua, is hilariously, exhilaratingly improbable.

I don’t know that conservatives are going to love it. There’s some suggestion that the U.S. has brought this horror upon itself, with its international butting in. But it all ends in super-patriotism, with the stars and stripes billowing proudly. When the lights came up, the applause was clamorous, and when Gerard Butler stood and tried to take leave, he was mobbed. (In a way that was more exciting than anything in the movie.) Gerard also had quite an amiable chat with Mr. Weinstein, a good friend for whom he has often worked. In 2011 he did “Coriolanus” for The Weinstein Co.

“Olympus Has Fallen” is extraordinarily satisfying for those who like this sort of thing. And millions do! I see big box office.

Oh, Morgan Freeman appears here as the speaker of the House and Ashley Judd has a cameo in “Olympus.” She plays the first lady! Perhaps her final film role before she enters politics?